DE 101 32 282 A1 discloses a generic vehicle seat in the form of an aircraft passenger seat, with a console which forms an armrest and with a holder for a plate. The plate holder is articulated to the console by an adjustment mechanism and can be adjusted by that mechanism out of a rest position retracted in the console selectively, into a separating element position in which it is moved upward out of the console and extends the lateral boundary of the seat part upward, and out of the separating element position into a horizontal position forming a table surface. In passenger aircraft with rows of seats in which there are several seats next to one another, efforts have been underway to make available as much privacy as possible to passengers who are sitting next to one another. The known possibility of moving a separating element out of the console between two seats located next to one another contributes significantly to achieving this object. The plate which has been moved upward out of the console forms a type of shielding of the seat area relative to the seat area of the passenger seat located next to it. The known solution does make it possible to use the plate not only as a separating element, but after transfer into the horizontal position, also as a table surface. In spite of this double use, however, other, different possible uses for the holder of the console have not been considered.